In March 1952, Sri Appa Saheb Maharaj invited her to visit
the sacred Samadhi of the famous saint Sri Manikya Prabhu
who is belived to be the fourth incarnation of Dattatreya,
the tribune deity. Sri Manikya Prabhu entered into Jiva-Samadhi,
at Manikya Nagar, his earthly abode in 1865 on Margasirsha
ekadasi. Ever since the Samadhi has been held in great reverence
and has been worshipped by successive streams of worshippers
with great reverence and devotion. Sri Appa Saheb Maharaj
was at that time the head of that Mutt. During his regime
he did a great deal to propagate the name and ideals of Sri
Prabhu. So, it was no wonder that he desired Manikyamma to
visit the Prabhu's Samadhi. So, one fine, morning she was
taken to Manikyanagar. She desired to go into the Samadhi
room to pay her homage to the Saint. But the Brahmin priests
objected to her entering the room because puja to the Samadhi
has been done in an orthodax manner; in an extremely punctilious
fashion. Non-Brahmins and women are not allowed into the Sanctum-
Sanctorum.

She is a non-brahmin and a woman, and therefore
it is doubly objectionable. They feared that her entry would
pollute the sacred Samadhi. But Sri Appa Saheb raised no objection.
As a sincere follower of Sri Manikya Prabhu he has a true
and correct conception of values. He has a cultured mind and
a large heart illumined by the light of all lights. He knows
however important external observances are, they must not
be allowed to stifle the spirit. He knows what Brahminhood
means. It is not birth alone that confers Brahminhood upon
a person. A Brahma Jnani is, by divine right, a Brahmin. He
knows that Manikyamma is a Jnani of unparalleled vision of
the holy spirit and therefore a purer, and more holy brahmin
than any brahmin there. As to her being a woman sex pertains
to the body. The soul knows no sex.

Manikyamma is not an ordinary human being. She has transcended the needs and limitations
of the corruptible human body and is therefore untouched by
the impurities of the physical frame of flesh and blood. No
food and drink ever enter into her body. She has no excretions
that sully the body. She is a spinster of extra-ordinary purity
of body and mind. No unclean sexual thoughts ever enter into
her God illumined virgin mind. She does not allow her body,
or even the clothes on her body, to be touched by anybody-man,
woman or child. She knows that the body is the temple of the
soul, and therefore endeavors to keep it pure and holy. Her
body is like a burning vestment. If any one touches it that
personal feels burning pain all over the body; and strangely
and mysteriously her body too would terribly revolt against
such a touch, and unless it is washed and bathed instantly
she could have no rest or peace. Her body seems to be materialised
soul, and has all the sensitiveness, purity and holiness of
divine spirit. So, where is the question of sex in regard
to this woman, who is no woman at all? So, Sri Appa Saheb
Maharaj who knew all this allowed her to go in. So, she went
in and sat near the holy samadhi of the ever-living Brahmin
Saint. She was there for about forty-five minutes, while the
Brahmin priests went on with their meticulous puja, in wrapt
communion with the immortal spirit of the Prabhu. When she
came out the Brahmins were all astonished to see her face
shining with a wonderful spritual glow.

They beheld dazzling Brahmatejas in her countenance at her
feet without any compunction. So the action of Sri Appa Saheb
Maharaj was vindicated. Then he presented her with a big brass
Trisulam, a huge beautiful tiger skin and a Kamandalam which are
in daily use with her.
Sri Appa Saheb Maharaj wanted to go on a pilgrimage to the
holy shrine of Vishvanath at Kasi. Throughout the ages Kasi
has been regarded as the holiest of the holy cities of Hinduism.
Every Hindu, rich or poor, whether he is intensely religious
or merely lukewarm about things spiritual, entertains secretly
the hope and nourishes the longing of making his life blessed
by visiting this holy earthly abode of Shankara at least once
before his death. So, a large number of his disciples desired
to accompany the Maharaj to Kasi. He arranged for a special
train and made elaborate arrangements for the holy pilgrimage.
He felt it would be in the fitness of things if Manikyamma
accompanied them. He accordingly, made known his desire and
requested her to grant them the privilege of her sacred company
during the pilgrimage. He assured her that no inconvenience
would be caused to her. A separate compartment with facilities
for her bath would be placed at her disposal. But she declined
to accept the invitation, saying, - "Maharaj, you go
on your pilgrimage. By God's grace it will be a successful
and happy trip. But my ways are different from your ways.
You go your way and leave me to my ways".

In spite of the fact that her fame was steadily growing,
her stay in Ram Dev Temple gradually became unhappy. So, she
wanted to shift her residence to the hillock. She built there
with the help of few devotees a small temple. When she was
digging under a tamarind tree on the hillock she found huge
bricks and a stone gate supposed to be relies of an ancient
Siddeswar. These came handy to her in her building the temple.
In it she built an attuck as an upper storey and began to
reside in it. From holy Kasi Sri Appa Saheb Maharaj brought
three beautiful Siva Lingams. One of these lingams was installed
and consecrated by him under the name of "Manikeshwar"
on Chaitra Sudha Dwadasi in Vyaya Nama year (27-3-1953) with
great pomp and splendor. Thousands of people attended the
function and made it a glorious success. In a most unexpected
and surprising manner, to the joy of all the devotees, foodstuffs
in superabundance came. God knows where from. The hillock
has since become Manikyagiri.

A new chapter in her life has begun. She continued to reside in the temple.
There was no other building on the hillock.
On one occasion she decided to go into anushthanam for thirty days. She would observe
complete silence (maunam) during that period and would not
come out at all. She instructed her devotees to lock the door
of the temple from outside and open it only on the thirty
first day. Devotees from the neighboring villages used to
go to the temple during those thirty days offering silent
worship in their admiring hearts to this extra-ordinary girl
saint. On the thirty first day she appeared at the small opening
in the attuck. There were about ten to fifteen devotees waiting
at the door including Sri Ram Reddi Patel and others. They
had the blessings of her darshan and broke coconuts and lighted
camphor and offered worship to her. Then they unlocked the
door of the temple so that she might come out. But strangely
enough the doors would not open however hard they tried. Then
she got out by means of a ladder through the opening in the
attuck. After coming out she too tried to open the doors.
She knocked and knocked. But the doors remained stubborn.
Then in sheer impatience and almost despair, seeing that all
human efforts failed, she stood on one leg in front of the
door and silently began to pray. She prayed thus for perhaps
half an hour.

Then to the astonishment and consternation of
all there was a thunderous sound. The sound was so loud and
terrific and unexpected that they were all frightened. Sri
Banappa, the former Secretary of Manikeshwari Yogasram Committee,
rain in terror to a distance of about thirty feet before he
could summon courage enough to look back to see what happened.
With that loud bang the doors flung themselves open. Then
she went in and bolted the doors from within. It is not known
what took place inside the temple then. People have heard
a sound like that of tinklets moving round and round and a
voice crying in anguish. "Shankara, please allow me to
take hold of you. Why do you vex me. What have I done to deserve
this? You appear to the eye, but refuse to be touched by the
hand. What is this maya? What is this naughty play and so
on" Then, after a little while she came out and was worshipped
again by the devotees there.

Sri Bannappa and others, who were till then addressing her simply as Manikyamma, have now
become convinced of her super natural powers. Henceforward
she had become "Amma" to them all. The fame of Sri
Manikyeshwari has begun to spread far and wide and the number
of devotees coming for her darshan has become considerably
increased.

Santveeraswamy, head of the Mutt at Gurumitkal, about seven
miles from Yanagundi, was a great admirer of hers. He used
to visit her frequently at Yanagundi. On Krishna Jayanti Day
he invited her to his Mutt. When she went there she was received
with great respect and affection. She was shown over the whole
mutt and Santveeraswamy acquainted her with the origin of
the mutt and the unparalleled holiness and great saintliness
of the original founder. Then she was taken to the Sakti temple
in the mutt which had been kept locked for over two hundred
years ever since the maha samadhi of the original founder
because the 'sakti' was supposed to be very powerful and terrible
and that people were afraid even to look at the idol. So,
the doors were always kept locked and such puja(prayer)as
was performed was made only before the closed door. She asked
them to unlock the door and open it as she wanted to see such
powerful deity. After some hesitation and cogitation they
opened the door.

The room was knee-deep full with the accumulated
dust of centuries, looked abominable and emitted stinking
foul smell. She expressed her desire to go in and worship
the magnificent 'Sakti'(energy). They were filled with consternation
at the very idea. Apart from the terrific power of the 'Sakti',
the room was so filthy and foul smelling that they could not
imagine how any human being could enter there and come out
alive. They warned her of the great danger and tried to dissuade
her. But Manikyamma is not the woman to be afraid of any dangerous
situation. The greater the danger and risk, the keener her
enthusiasm, so, she went in and closed the door. The next
morning she opened the door and came out hale and happy to
the joyous astonishment of all of them who were waiting with
palpitating hearts and worried looks expecting to see her
dead body.

Their astonishment was all the greater when they
heard that she had also descended into the impenetrable darkness
of the underground cell in the temple, which no one had had
the courage even to think of seeing. It was indeed a marvelous
and miraculous adventure. No human being would ever have ventured
to enter and spend a whole night in that 'Sakti' temple against
the warnings of Santveeraswamy and other inmates of the Mutt.
But Manikyamma went in there as freely and as casually as
one would go into one's own house. Indeed the spirit of Adi-Sakti
is in her, however much it is veiled by the bodily vesture
of flesh and blood. She received reverential and over whelming
ovation from them. Santveeraswamy presented her with orange-colored
clothes, the symbol of purity, 'Vairagyam' (renunciation)
and sacrifice and a pair of wooden sandals- the only footwear
allowed to sanyasis. She has been wearing Kashayam ever since
and walks only with wooden sandals.

Sri Shanker Dev, then Minister of the then Hyderabad State,
during his tour to Yanagundi, happened to hear of Sri Manikyeshwari
and the story of her living without food and drink. He at
first thought that it was a cock and bull story. But when
Sri Ram Reddi and others vouchsafed for the story he wanted
to investigate and find out the facts of the case. He, therefore,
employed C.I.Ds like Dr. Akbar Ali Saheb before him. After
impartial, severe and scientific testing he was satisfied
that there was no exaggeration in the stories he had heard
regarding her, that what appears impossible and unnatural
to ordinary people is not only possible but true in the case
of great Yogis like Sri Manikyeshwari. Hence forward he became
an ardent admirer and devotee of this woman saint.

He was eager to make known the unique greatness of this Bala Yogini
to the world and so wrote two books, one in Hindi and another
in English and some articles to news papers propagating her
greatness. He invited her to Hyderabad and took her there
one day to introduce her personally to the educated and civilized
world. There, Ministers and high Government officials, religionists
and bhaktas sought her darshan. Among them was Swami Ramadas,
a famous Bhakta and the head of a big Ashram at Kanhangad,
near Mangalore. Though a man like Minister Shankar Deo declared
after careful watching and testing that he was convinced that
Sri Manikyeshwari was indeed living without food and water,
people hesitated to believe that it was possible for a human
being to live without food and drink for any length of time.

It was contrary to Nature. Oh, ye men of little faith, though
you think you believe in God, the Omnipotent, why is it impossible
for you to believe in the possibility of a Yogi who lives
in constant communion with the Infinite, the Omnipotent God,
to live sans food, sans water? We, modern English-educated
men have lost touch with our ancient wisdom and have no faith
in our own great rishis and Yogis and dismiss them with a
high-brow sneer as more charltans. We have come too much under
the spell of the un-scientific "Scientific" spirit
of the times and the so called spirit of reason, to believe
what appears to us as un-natural and contrary to reason. Oh,
ye, unbelieving believers, know that there are more things
in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your sciences and
philosophies. Having eyes you see not; having ears you hear
not.

Natural laws are valid so far as the external phenomenal
world is concerned. But there are subtle worlds in, beneath
and above the gross physical and material world. And there
are subtle laws that govern these worlds. These laws are studied
with punctilious ease and proclaimed by spiritual seers whom
we call mystics or Sufis or yogis. These laws are as valid
in the world of spirit even as natural laws are valid in the
material world. When we understand these laws we shall be
able to find perfect explanation for the events, which appear
to be un-natural, and which we contemptuously dismiss as impossible
experienced any disease.

These mystics or Yogis who are in touch with the Omnipotent,
Omniscient Omnipresent and Infinitive Creative Spirit acquire
what in Yoga Pralance are called Ashta-Sidhis, that is, the
powers of anima, mahima, garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya,
isatva and vasitva. Mahayogini Manikyeswari seems to possess
all these powers. But she is reluctant to show them. She does
not want to exhibit to the public gaze her yogic powers. To
the seeker of God, to him who wants to realise God and get
merged in him these powers are an obstacle and a hindrance.
Many people who after years of hard and painful quest after
God obtain these siddhis as side products as it were. When
they happen to get these powers they succumb to temptation
and begin to use them.

At first they use them with the best of intentions for the good
of humanity - for the alleviation of disease, pain, misery and sorrow.
But in course of time the adulation of the people and the fame and power
that the use of fame these powers bring them, make them egoistic and
make them lose their real objective, namely the realisation
of God. As Milton has said "love of fame is the last
infirmity of noble minds". The path of spirituality is
strewn with dangerous temptations and even the most highly
advanced are always liable to fall. Even today we have amidst
us great men who have been bestowed with these powers and
who use them for their own glorification, though they ostensibly
take the name of God and seem to perform them for the good
of humanity. The exhibition of these powers promiscuously
before all and sundry brings them down to the level of jugglers
and vipravinddis and mars the sanctity and holiness of these
divine powers.

In our country many mahatmas have performed miracles to reveal
the power and mercy of God. The names and performances of
man like Manikya Prabhu, Raghavendra Swami, and Sai Baba of
recent times are known to all. Sri Manikyeshwari also shows
some of these powers and performs miracles. But she never
arrogates to herself the power to perform them. She always
attributes them to God - "Parameswara must have done
them. I know nothing of them," she says that if any person
who has been cured of a fell disease comes and expresses his
gratitude to her, she will simply say, "Your Bhakti must
have done it" (even as Jesus Christ said to the leper
whom he had cured "Your faith has cured you"). I
have no lot or part in it. God must have appreciated your
devotion and cured you of your disease," and so on. This
charming humility is a remarkable feature of her character.
Innumerable are the miracles she has performed. Only a few
we shall mention here, in addition to what has already been
said, simply to show that she is in touch with the Supreme
Creative Spirit.

Dr. Akbar Ali Saheb of Hyderabad happened to go to Yanagundi
on professional work. He practices Unani and Ayurvedic systems
of medicine. He is a public-spirited man of great enthusiasm
and courage. As a follower of the Mahatma, he propagates the
cult of ahimsa. Though a Muslim, he has catholic views and
honors all religions. His ideal man is Bhagawan Buddha, whose
infinite mercy and love of all creatures has captivated his
heart. He has learnt his piety from Rama and humanity from
Buddha. In his large heart there is no room for bigotry, narrowness
and communalism. Once this doctor went to Yanagundi on a professional
visit to Patel Rama Reddi. While there he heard about Manikyamma
who was living without food and water.

He could not believe
how a human being could live for months and years even without
water. Being a sincere and seriously religious man he wanted
to discover the truth about it. So he engaged a professional
C.I.D. man and both of them spent some restless days and sleepless
nights in watching closely the movements of Manikyamma. Then
at last he became convinced that Manikyamma never ate a morse
of food or drank a drop of water and that she is really a
great soul. He became her devotee.

He has had strange personal experiences about the supernatural
powers of Manikyamma. One day when he was talking to her at
the gate of Ram Dev temple she went in promising to come back
soon. He waited and waited at the gate for a very long time.
But still she did not come out. So he got impatient and inquisitive.
He cautiously peeped into the small temple. But he was surprised
to see no one there. There was only one doorway and if she
went out she could have gone only through that doorway. But
he was waiting there all along and he could not have failed
to notice her going. No, she did not go out. But, then what
became of her? He sat there musing and wondering when Manikyamma
came from within and accosted him. He received a shock of
astonishment. from there. He showed us a letter he had received
from her on 11-11-1964 and told us with what reverential thankfulness
he received it and how he regards it as a sacred treasure,
more valuable than gold and diamonds and how he always keeps
it under his pillow.

Sri Manikyeshwari was very fond of bathing in the gundam
at the foot of the hillock. She would go there any time, day
or night when she took a fancy to bathe. One day at about
3 O'Clock at dawn she went down to the gundam for a plunge.
There were with her several devotees including Sri M.Govind
Rao, Tahsildar of Kodangal, Sri Ram Reddi, Patel of Yangundi,
Sri Venkata Reddy, Patel of Burugapalli. She had in one hand
her big brass Trisulam, her Kamandalam she held in the other
hand, fresh clothes to wear after bath on the shoulders, and
on her head a big brass vessel to bring water up the hill
for washing, because in those days water had to be carried
up the hill from the gundam. After finishing the bath they
started on their return journey.

She started with all paraphernalia
Trisulam in one hand, Kamandalam in the other and on her shoulders
washed wet clothes and wooden sandals on her feet. She seemed
a veritable Sakti. When they were half way up the hillock
some one noticed that the brass vessel with water was not
on her head as usual, and asked her about it. Her reply was
evasive. When they came up they could not believe their eyes
when they beheld the vessel filled with water near the tamarind
tree, at the edge of the hillock waiting, as it were, for
the Devi. Perhaps she had felt that the carrying of the water-filled
vessel on her head would be too cumbersome, or that the vessel
itself felt ashamed to give her trouble. In those days there
were no steps up the hill and the way was rough and slippery.

One day, in May, 1966, Sri Manikyeshwari told Sri Bannappa
and some other devotees tha she was thinking of going to Sri
Sailam (Srisailam is one among the various Jyothirlingam of
India ) and asked them in her playful way how many of them
would accompany her. All except Sri Bannappa said that they
would all very gladly follow her. But Sri Bannappa told her
if she would inform him before hand the date of her departure
he would, after corresponding with the Andhra Government,
make suitable arrangements for her journey to and stay at
Sri Sailam. But with an enigmatic smile she rebuked him and
said "you seem to be a mad fellow. Why do I want all
that fuss? I will quietly go without any paraphernalia about
me and will return quietly after having darshan of Shankara".

Sri Bannappa laughed within himself at her simplicity and
at her ignorance. A few days after this, on 11th May 1966,
at about 10 O'Clock in the night he accompanied her as usual
from the temple to the Ashram and after she had gone in he
locked the door of the Ashram and was coming away. When he
was about twenty yards from the temple he saw her coming from
the temple towards the Ashram and when she approached him
she accosted him. He became astounded and breathless. He faltered
out the words: "What Amma? What is this? Just now I sent
you into the Ashram and after locking the gate I am coming.
How do you happen to be here? Am I dreaming? What is this
Amma? Smiling in her own child-like fashion she protested
, "Are you mad Bannappa? I have been here all along."

One may be excused the guess that perhaps she wanted to hint,
in this manner, to Bannappa that she would go to Sri Sailam
in this fashion and therefore elaborate arrangements would
be superfluous for her trip. How remarkably unassuming and
simple is the way she shows her powers to her devotees. No
drum beating, no blowing of trumpets, no tricks of jugglery.
They are like the natural silent spontaneous miracles of God
which we witness everyday - the silent rising of the sun every
morning and its glorious setting every evening, the simple
silent revelation of the splendid star-studded sky every night
and the equally silent veiling of it every morning and a myriad
such miracles of God which we take for granted as quite natural
and ordinary.

Shortly after this, an incident happened which created a great
sensation among her disciples. On 31st May 1966, the door
of the Ashram was found locked outside and the key was lying
on the lantern, which was on the steps. The previous night
she went into the Ashram and bolted the door from within as
usual. The next morning the door of the Ashram was found locked
from without and she was not to be seen anywhere. In consternation
a search was made all around - near the gundam, near Ram Dev
temple in Yanagundi and the neighboring villages and towns
and the search was continued till the 8th June 1966. Discovering
no clue about her whereabouts, the distracted disciples, fearing
the worst about her decided that the safest thing would be
to report the matter to the Police. So, the Circle Inspector
of Police, Sri Halli, was informed about it.

The Police, after
a careful search all around, opened the Ashram gate and went
in. Sri Mallanna, Advocate of Yadgiri and Sri Konda Narayanappa
also of Yadgiri, the then Secretary of Sri Manikyeshwari Yogashram
Committee, entered the room together with the police. But
they found the room empty. Furious search was made, but all
to no effect. At last suddenly at 6 in the morning on 10th
June 1966 she was found enjoying a swing on the top of a tree
in Ram Dev temple. Where was she during those ten days? How
did she leave the hillock and return to Yanagundi without
being noticed by anybody? These are questions, which can never
be answered, because the only person who can satisfactorily
answer them has not deigned to take us into her confidence.
Some, perhaps over-credulous, devotees believe that she had
been on a flying visit to the holy Mount, Sri Sailam.

Her fame was steadily growing and several devotees were coming
for her darshan. Sri M. Govind Rao, then Tahsildar of Kodangal,
was one of those sincere devotees who were not satisfied with
merely having darshan of the saint, but who desired to do
something to make the place more habitable to the saint. He
got a small nice Ashram built for her so that she could perform
her meditation without disturbance from sun and rain and from
inquisitive and obsequious spectators. The room was built
and was almost ready for occupation, only the windows and
the doorway had to be fixed up. Meanwhile, the Mahayogini
became impatient and eager to enter the room and start her
tapas.

The devotees requested her to wait for a short while
so that they might fix up the windows and the door way. But
she was too impatient to heed their request. She went and
sat in the room on 23rd December, 1953 and asked them to build
up with stones where they wanted to put up the windows and
the door way. They felt bewildered and were terror stricken.
They did not know what to do. It was a tremendous risk to
keep a girl barely twenty years old shut in a room without
any opening. She who had been living without food and water,
living only on air and light, was now to be denied even light
and air. It looked as though she was to undergo a sentence
of death confined in a dark cell in a most inhuman fashion.
But this extra-ordinary young girl with a stupendous courage
and unflinching faith in the providence of God assured them
that no harm would come to her and that God, who is the protector
of all, would surely not abandon those who trust in Him and
depend entirely upon him.

He would surely not allow her to
perish in her prayer room. She would come out on the ensuing
Mahasivaratri and give them darshan. "But how, Amma,
could you come out of this room which has no opening of any
kind? How would you come out of these stone walls?" Protested
the astonished devotees. Then she smiled a smile of gentle
reproof: "What, is there anything impossible to the Almighty
God has created this infinite Brahmanandam out of nothing.
Can He not make a small opening in the stonewall for me to
come out. Have no fear. We will meet on Mahasivaratri".
The ensuing Shivaratri fell on 3rd March 1954. For that helpless
girl to remain in that dark closed-up cell for more than seventy
days - not only without food and without water for which she
was accustomed - but without light and with only scanty air!
How wonderful! But has he not assured us in His Celestial
song. "Name Bhaktah Pranasyati"? True. But how many
of us seriously accept that assurance and mould our life on
that faith? We quote those words in profoundly devout manner
in our discourses and learned lectures in pulpits and on public
platforms.

Few of us indeed believe sincerely and whole-heartedly
those words of Paramatma. To most of us they are merely words
in a book, albeit a scripture and not a definite and indisputable
assurance from God. But this little illiterate country girl,
devoid of all sham and humbug, in the sincerity of her nature,
believed with all her mind and heart and soul in the promised
protecting hand of God. Her courage and faith seemed to have
proved infectious. Partly inspired by her soul-stirring faith
and partly out of curiosity and partly too of their fear to
disobey her, they agreed. Then as she sat in 'dhyana' pose
the wall was built up round her with big stones and cement,
leaving no outlet. Soon news spread like wild fire that the
Bala Yogini of Yanagundi was undergoing a most dangerous and
unique tapas shutting herself up in darkness in a closed up
room without any outlet, and that she promised to give darshan
on the ensuing Mahashivaratri.

This sensational news roused
the whole neighborhood into feverish inquisitiveness and people
began to flow into Yanagundi in their hundreds to verify the
truth of this incredible news. In a due course the Government
came to know of this and threatened to take legal action against
those who were responsible for this murderous scheme. Sri
Rama Reddi, Patel of Yanagundi, tried to assuage the suspicion
and anger of Government officials and red them that would
be no untoward happenings and that there would be absolutely
no danger to the person of Sri Manikyeshwari whose miraculous
deeds they had witnessed and had been known to all the people
of the surrounding villages. To make assurance doubly sure
he offered property valued at Rupees Ten Thousand as security
against any possible mishap.

The Government was free to confiscate
that property if anything went wrong and if Sri Manikyeshwari
came to any harm. One cannot but admire Sri Rama Reddi's faith
in the supernatural powers of Sri Manikyeshwari and his courage
and spirit of sacrifice. He has always remained faithful to
the trust imposed on him by Sri Appa Saheb Maharaj and has
all along been a true and valiant and chivalrous follower
and disciple of the saint through thick and thin, through
fair play and foul. The Government thus satisfied, set up
a strong watch consisting of six C.I.Ds, and other officials.
Hundreds of people came and kept a round the clock vigil till
the appointed day, the Mahasivaratri. At last the Great day
came. On Mahasivaratri - 3rd March 1954 - long before the
previous midnight thousands and thousands of people collected
before the room to witness the promised and much expected
miracle. People from all the surrounding villages and towns
flocked to the hillock.

All roads led to Yanagundi. Among
the thousands that gathered there were several rich and influential
people, scholars and devotees, scientists and sceptics, C.I.Ds
and Police, two Ministers of the Government and many high
Government officials. The motley crowd was throbbing with
breathless expectation. A powerful searchlight from a Government
motor vehicle was shot on the front wall of the sacred room.
Time seemed to pass so slowly that minutes appeared as long
hours. The impatience of the waiting crowd was growing with
the passing of the minutes. But doubt and fear, faith and
devotion, expectation and reverence, and an unseen spirit
of solemnity seemed to have gripped the teeming thousands
and wrapped them in an eloquent flood of silence. At long
last, the darkness and the suspense of the night seemed to
be dispersing with the dawn of "Brahma Muhurtam"
when angels in heaven sing songs of praise and joy to the
All-holy and Almighty God. At about 4 AM, when the eastern
sky was making slow preparations for the reception of the
Great Silent Witness, when the suspense of the people was
at breaking point, the impatient crowd saw cracks in the front
wall of the great room.

Ten thousand piercing eyes were focused
on the wall. The hearts of the multitude were palpitating
with suspense, with joy and with strange feelings of awe.
The atmosphere was tense with a supernatural glow of expectation.
Then beyond the wildest hopes of the most superstitious believers
the great miracle happened. The stones of the wall began to
fall miraculously one by one in mystic silence as if they
seemed to fear disturbing the supernal serenity of the holy
place. They fell noiselessly, silently and almost reverently.
God thus carved out a passage through the stonewall for this
saint to come out. The doubts of the unbelieving were dispelled.
The expectations of the faithful were fulfilled. Scientists
were puzzled and silenced. Philosophers were non-pulsed. Devotees
were jubilant. Skeptics who came to scoff remained to pray.
The crowd went mad with ecstatic joy. Such wonderful miracle
has not been witnessed since the days of the glorious saint
"Gnaneswar" who is said to have ridden on a mud
wall. But at a mere glance of Sri Manikeshwari, stones from
the cemented stonewall fell down before her in obeisance.

Such is the marvelous power of this Maha Yogini. But it is
extremely difficult to understand her complex nature full
of seemingly contrary and contradictory qualities. If we could
understand fully and well this unlettered rustic women and
her illuminated soul we should know - what god and man are.
We shall try to describe, however inadequately, some of the
more striking traits of her character, though we have already
touched some of these in the course of the narration of her
story. The first thing that attracts our notice in her is
her sense of personal purity. From her early childhood, even
when she was four or five years old, she considered herself
as being different and separate from the other members of
the family. She used to have her own separate eating plate
and tumbler and would not allow them to be mixed with those
of the family.

She used to fetch her drinking water herself.
She kept herself aloof from the rest of the family and would
not tolerate anyone touching her. If, however, any one happened
to touch her by chance she would feel as if her whole body
was aflame and would start crying and weeping and could not
be consoled for hours afterwards. When she was a little child
some neighbor woman came and took the child fondly from the
cradle in her arms and kissed it. Then the baby began to howl
and kick and brought the roof down as if it were to the consternation
of the poor woman. This sense of purity she continues to cherish
even today. She sweeps her own room. She washes her clothes
herself. Though there are several disciples who would only
be too glad to do her personal service she firmly refuses
their services. This trait of hers stands in strong contrast
to the behavior of the general run of sanyasis.

The splendidly spectacular and grand installation ceremony
of the Lingam in the small Siva Temple on 26th May, 1953 in
which several thousand people participated with great devotion
and earnestness brought to the fore the need for enlarging
and beautifying the temple and for providing adequate accommodation
to the ever increasing number of visiting pilgrims. This important
task was undertaken by three or four prominent devotees.

Late Sri M. Govind Rao:

The first among them is Late Sri M Govind Rao. He was an extra-ordinary
person. He served in the Revenue Department as a Tahsildar
and Assistant Commissioner. Though a man of large family and
great responsibilities he was throughout his official career
thoroughly honest and remained incorruptible in spite of great
temptations. He was simple and innocent as a rustic, unostentatious
like a profound scholar, with suave manners which proceed
from a kind, generous and noble heart, unruffled by the ups
and downs of life, never cast down by sorrow or elated by
joy, calm and serene like a seasoned philosopher. We rarely
come across such a man.

He understood and carried out successfully
the enlarging and beautifying of the Siva Temple. A big stone
Mantapam was built round the temple so that it might stand
through the centuries as a reminder of the unique Tapaswini,Sri
Manikyeshwari. In those days it was indeed a Herculean task
to transport huge stone pillars several feet long for the
temple from distant places up the hillock which could not
boast then of anything like even a distantly aprroaching road.
The Mantapam which has been constructed mainly through his
efforts and zeal under very trying circumstances and againt
great odds will stand as an eternal monument revealing to
successive generations of pilgrim bhaktas his sincere bhakti
and selfless services. His services to Manikyeshwari cannot
be exaggerated.

Sri Maniappa:

Then there was the question of accomodation for visiting
pilgrims, Sri Maniappa of Tandur was the first to undertake
to tackle this problem. He is a silent and unassuming devotee.
He is the confident of Sri Manikyeshwari and implicity carries
out her wishes and instructions. With the help of some fellow
devotees he constructed a Dharmasala.

Late Smt. Krishnamma:

Smt. Krishnamma widowed sister of Late Sri A.V.Narayana Rao
of Narayanpet had been residing in it ever since it was built
and was rendering considerable service to casual visitors.
She was one of those who witnessed the great miracle of the
wall in 1954. She was so deeply impressed with it that she
made up her mind to spend the rest of her life in the service
of the Mahayogini. Her faith and courage are indeed remarkable.
When there were none on the hillock she was staying all alone
with the Mahayogini. And when Sri Manikyeshwari shut herself
up for months together in her Ashram during her periodical
anushtanams.

Krishnamma was there on the hillock all
alone with the Damocle's sword of Muslim fanaticism and threatened
violence hanging on her head, through the silence of the lonely
day and the terror striking darkness of the night. Neither
the cajolings of her rich relations, nor the fearful threats
of enemies - open and secret - have been able to wean her
away from the feet of the great yogini. Through storm and
sunshine, through slander and praise, through illness and
health, through poverty and starvation she has stuck to her
guns like the heroine that she was.

Late Sri A.V.Narayan Rao & Late
Smt. Manik Bai:

Late Sri A.V.Narayan Rao of Narayanpet was another great devotee
whose services to Sri Manikyeshwari and Manikyagiri are considerable.
With his vast resources and great influence he made himself
very useful and helpful in making adequate arrangements for
important functions like the grand installation ceremony of
the Lingam in the Siva Temple and the construction of the
Dharmasala and other buildings. His wife Late Manik Bai was
a great bhakta and co-operated whole heartedly with her husband.
They both stayed on the hillock when there were no facilities
at all - living in a small thatched hut - fetching water from
the gundam below with no protection of any kind-supervising
the construction of the Dharmasala and other buildings. Amma
has visited their home in Narayanpet.

Late Sri Banappa:
No account of the story of Sri Manikyeshwari will be complete
without the recounting of the services of Late Sri Banappa
Gandhi, ex - MLA and Secretary of the Manikyeshwari trust.
He was an interesting character. He appeared to be happy -
go - lucky fellow with no serious outlook upon life. He was
a boon companion of ministers and high Government officials,
he was at once a chum of the ordinary police constable, the
secret police informant, the clerk at the desk in the office
and the cook with the kettle in the kitchen. He used to talk
and behave in a light hearted and humourous way cutting jokes
with all and sundry - even with the Mahayogini. But below
the surface of this superficiality lies a vein of sincere
and genuine faith. His was the hidden hand in bringing to
fruition the scheme for electric installation on the hillock.
He always strived to spread the name of Sri Manikyeshwari,
speaking of her Yogic powers to the eminent men, to ministers
and to high Government officials, in every possible meeting.
He stroved very hard to get the animal sacrifices at the Chilla
stopped.

In that attempt he naturally became very unpopular with the
Muslims and also those Hindus who supported them for selfish
purposes, with the consequence that several false accusations
were foisted on him. In this connection he had suffered a
great deal physically, socially and financially. But through
weather, fair and foul, through report good and evil, he has
constantly remained faithful to Sri Manikyeshwari.

Late Sri Rajayya:
Late Sri Ammanabolu Rajayya was a rich merchant of Secunderabad.
He was an ardent religionist of charitable disposition.He
has constructed temples in several places and has endowed
them with liberal funds for the carrying out of religious
functions and for feeding. He perceived that Manikyagiri had
a great future before it, and that there was plenty of scope
for the exercise of his charitable impulses. So he entered
the field, beautified the Mantapam further still, added an
upper storey to the residential building of the Yogini in
the Ashram. In 1957, he constructed a nice bungalow at considerable
cost for the accommodation of pilgrim visitors. Mention has
already been made of the motor engine set up at the gundam
for pumping up of water to the hillock.

Sri Rajayya contributed a large sum of money and got the water
works completed. So there is an abundant supply of water on
the hillock a facility which is greatly appreciated by one
and all. Sri Rajayya has made arrangements for the Puja and
seva in the Siva Temple by appointing pujaris at his own expenses.
Every year on MahaShivaratri a gala festival is held, and
a large number of people are fed, and clothes are distributed
to the poor - all at the cost of this great philanthropist.
Seeing that the pujaris were put to much inconvenience for
want of proper arrangement for their stay he generously constructed
in 1964 a decent building which not only houses the pujaris
but affords accommodation to the ever increasing number of
devotees. Luckily for him he has a wife who is deeply religious,
and generous hearted, and is really his better half. She heartily
co-operates with him in all his charitable activities. It
is difficult to exaggerate the services which Sri Rajayya
has been rendering to the Maha Yogini and her
cause.